115 Calorie Chocolate Espresso Brownies as a Holiday Treat!

It's holiday weekend!  Families and friends are gathering to celebrate the occasion, often with heaping trays of food, snacks, and desserts in tow.  The sweets enjoyed at the end of the meal are a significant contributor to the total caloric intake of a meal, and can easily provide as many or more calories as the meal itself.  


As such, I would like to share with you one of my very favorite recipes.   These chocolate espresso brownies are absolutely delicious - they are moist and satisfying, and you'd never guess that they contain only 115 calories per square!  The secret that makes this recipe low calorie yet very flavorful is that cocoa powder is used instead of chocolate.   And no, the brownies are not microscopic - they are appropriately portion controlled at 1/16 of an 8x8" pan.  


For diabetics, please note that the carbohydrate content is about 17 grams per square.  This is not a lot of carbohydrate, but they are simple carbs (sugar and flour), making this a high glycemic index food (a deviation from the recommendations of choosing complex carbohydrates with a low glycemic index).  Therefore, these squares may cause blood sugars to rise a little more than a complex carb food would.  Having said that, one square as a special Easter dessert would be a much better choice than many other desserts, which can easily contain several fold higher carbohydrate and calories.



Ingredients:

• 2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/3 cup all purpose flour (or try whole wheat flour for a more complex carb)
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/3 cup canola oil
• 1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 4 large egg whites
• 1 tbsp instant espresso powder (I like to use a Starbucks Via!)
• 1 tbsp hot water
• 1 tbsp coffee flavored liquor
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Heat oven to 350F.  
Whisk together cocoa, flour and baking powder. 
In a separate bowl, stir together canola oil and sugars. 
In a small bowl, whisk the egg whites until they are foamy. 

In a small cup, dissolve the espresso powder in 1 tbsp hot water.  Stir coffee, coffee liquer and vanilla extract into the canola/sugar mixture, along with the egg whites.  Gradually stir this into the cocoa mixture, until well blended.

Pour the batter into an 8x8 inch baking pan lined with foil and coated with cooking spray. Bake 25 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into centre comes out clean.   Cool completely before cutting into squares.

Makes 16 brownies.
 
Per brownie:
115 cal, 2g protein, 17g CHO, 5g fat, 1g fiber.

Note that these brownies don't have any icing - they don't need it, as they are so rich on their own.  For decoration, consider adding one dark chocolate chip to the top of each one while they are still warm (for an additional 2.5 calories!).

It can be a challenge to maintain a healthy dietary pattern on weekends like this!  Remember to practice portion control at all aspects of the meal as well, and to make healthy food choices wherever possible!


Dr. Sue © 2011   www.drsue.ca     drsuetalks@gmail.com

Follow me on Twitter for more tips! drsuepedersen

Follow me on Facebook: drsue.ca
 

Read more...

Iced Pumpkin Fiber Muffins!

Pumpkin is a fantastic ingredient to consider for use in your baking.  It weighs in as a low calorie food at only 30 calories per cup, and it lends a fantastic moisture to your baking that makes it easy to bake without oil or butter.  I have scoured the internet to find a good, healthy, pumpkin muffin recipe, and here it is:  The Hungry Girl does it again! 


These muffins are delightful!  They are made with one of my favorite sources of fiber, that being Fiber One Cereal (All Bran is my other favorite source).  They taste great with or without icing.  Should you choose the 'with icing' alternative, consider sprinkling a little cinnamon (and maybe just a little extra Splenda) on top.



Ingredients:
Muffins
1 cup Fiber One Original bran cereal
1 1/2 cups whole-wheat flour
1/2 cup Splenda No Calorie Sweetener (granulated)
1/4 cup brown sugar (not packed)
1 tbsp. baking powder
2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1/4 tsp. salt
One 15-oz. can pure pumpkin
1 cup club soda
1/2 cup fat-free liquid egg substitute (like Egg Beaters Original)
1/4 cup sugar-free pancake syrup
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 cup raisins, chopped

Icing
1/4 cup Cool Whip Free, thawed
3 tbsp. fat-free cream cheese, room temperature
1 tbsp. Splenda No Calorie Sweetener (granulated) 

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 10 cups of a 12-cup muffin pan with baking cups and/or spray with nonstick spray. Set aside.

Using a blender or food processor, grind cereal to a breadcrumb-like consistency. Transfer crumbs to a large bowl.
 Add flour, Splenda, brown sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, and salt. Mix well and set aside.

In another bowl, combine pumpkin, soda, egg substitute, syrup, and vanilla extract. Mix thoroughly. Add mixture to the large bowl and stir until blended to form the batter.

Slowly sprinkle and stir chopped raisins into the batter. Evenly distribute batter among the 10 prepared cups of your muffin pan. (Batter may be piled high... This is OK!)

Bake in the oven until muffins are golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center of one comes out mostly clean, about 30 minutes. Set aside to cool.

Meanwhile, combine all icing ingredients in a small microwave-safe bowl. Mix until smooth and blended. (Refrigerate icing if you don't plan to serve muffins right away.)

Remove cooled muffins from the pan. Just before serving, warm icing in the microwave for a few seconds and drizzle it onto the muffins (or simply spread it on evenly). Enjoy!

MAKES 10 SERVINGS

Serving Size: 1 iced muffin

APPROXIMATE: 

Calories: 150
Carbs: 30g
Fiber: 4g

Dr Sue Pedersen www.drsue.ca © 2011 drsuetalks@gmail.com

Follow me on Twitter for daily tips! @drsuepedersen

Follow me on Facebook: drsue.ca

Read more...

A Christmas Hit: Crustless Pumpkin Pie!

Due to the popularity of last week's Blueberry Crisp recipe, I have decided to one-up myself with the help of my sleuthing friend Deb, who has located a fantastic, even lower calorie dessert recipe for us. Thanks go to the Hungry Girl for this invention!

Ingredients:
One 15-oz. can pure pumpkin
One 12-oz. can evaporated fat-free milk
1/2 cup fat-free liquid egg substitute
3/4 cup Splenda (granulated)
2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine all ingredients in a bowl, and mix thoroughly.

Place mixture in an 8" x 8" baking dish sprayed lightly with nonstick spray, and bake in the oven for 45 minutes. (It will remain a little soft, like pie filling.)

Once ready to serve (it's delicious eaten hot or cold), cut into 9 pieces.

Makes 9 servings. Per serving: only 65 calories!

Tip: I made this for my better half last night, and his feeling was that a 4 tbsp puff of light whipped cream on the top was worth the extra 30 calories to make this dessert a little richer tasting. The total for this delicious treat still comes in just under 100 calories. I'll let you decide!!

Happy Holidays to All!!

Dr Sue Pedersen www.drsue.ca © 2010 drsuetalks@gmail.com

Follow me on Twitter for daily tips! @drsuepedersen

Follow me on Facebook: drsue.ca

Read more...

Blueberry Crisp Yuletide Dessert!

The wonderful holiday season is upon us!! It's a joyous time to spend time with friends and loved ones, with much hosting done from home. Large, filling, high calorie meals are the norm during the holidays, and dessert can often double the total calorie intake of the meal. Here is a suggestion for a fabulous dessert that is not calorie free by any means, but is at least reasonable at 256 calories per serving. My suggestion is to scale down to a half portion for only 128 calories! Eating a half portion also scales down the carbohydrate count (attenntion, diabetics!) to a very reasonable 24 grams.

This recipe comes from my favorite Canadian chefs Janet and Greta Podleski, from their fabulous cookbook, Eat, Shrink, and Be Merry!

Blueberry Crisp (aka Rhapsody in Blueberry)

Filling:

• 6 cups blueberries (best if fresh)
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 2 tbsp cornstarch
• 2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 2 tsp grated lemon zest

Topping:

• 1 cup quick-cooking rolled oats (not instant)
• 1/2 cup all purpose flour
• 1/3 cup lightly packed brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 cup margarine, melted
• 2 tbsp apple juice or orange juice
  

1 cup low fat vanilla yogurt

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 375F. Spray a 9 x 13 inch baking dish with cooking spray. Add blueberries. Sprinkle bueberries with granulated sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Mix well and set aside.

2. To make topping, combine oats, flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon in a medium bowl. Add melted margarine and juice. Using a fork, stir until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle crumb mixture evenly over coated blueberries.

3. Bake for 30 minutes, until blueberries are bubbling around edge of pan and crumb topping is golden brown. Cool for 10 minutes before serving.

4. Serve with a dollop of low fat vanilla yogurt, if desired.


Makes 8 servings. Per serving:

• 256 calories
• 6.9g fat
• 3g protein
• 48g carbohydrate

Divide the above numbers by 2 for half servings (recommended!).

To further cut calories, I'd be interested to see how this recipe turns out with Splenda as a substitute for granulated sugar, and/or Brown Sugar Splenda as a substitution for brown sugar. Try it out, and leave a comment to let our readers know how it turns out!

Happy Holidays!

Dr Sue Pedersen www.drsue.ca © 2010 drsuetalks@gmail.com

Follow me on Twitter for daily tips! @drsuepedersen

Follow me on Facebook: drsue.ca

Read more...

Lemon Parmesan Broccoli!

Here is a great way to shake up your broccoli! Broccoli on its own is a Free Veg, meaning that you can eat it in large amounts without taking in many calories (it's only 30 cal per cup!). It is not quite free with the addition of a little bit of Lite Parmesan... but it's pretty darn close!

INGREDIENTS:

• 6 cups of broccoli (about 4 heads)
  
• 1 lemon
• 3 tbsp light powdered Parmesan cheese
  

Cut your broccoli into florets. The broccoli needs to be dry - if you wash it, be sure to dry it thouroughly. Arrange in a 9x13" baking dish.

Zest your lemon and finely chop the pile of zest you get. Chop your lemon in half.

Spray broccoli briefly with an aerosol sprayer such as Pam (a great alternative to oil!). Add a bit of salt & pepper to taste, and squeeze the juice of one half of your lemon on the broccoli. Put your dish of broccoli in a preheated oven at 400C for 20-25 mins. The goal is for the tips of the broccoli to be a little crispy, but not burned.

Remove from oven, sprinkle with the lemon zest, squeeze the juice from your other half of lemon all over the broccoli and top with the parmesan cheese. Return to the oven for 1-2 mins until the parmesan melts, then serve!

Makes 6 servings. Per serving:

• 50 cal
• only 1g fat!

Dr Sue Pedersen www.drsue.ca © 2010 drsuetalks@gmail.com

Follow me on Twitter for daily tips! drsuepedersen

Read more...

Bean Salad with a Hint of Lime!

Thanks go out to my best friend Deb for staking out this recipe! Give it a try and let us know what you think. From 'Full of Beans' cookbook by Violet Currie and Kay Spicier - thanks for the inspiration! A great way to enjoy the 'hint of lime' flavor fad.

COMBINE IN A BOWL:

• 1 cup rinsed canned black beans
• 1 cup rinsed canned kidney beans
• 1 cup corn ( canned, thawed frozen or ideally cut right off the cob if it is in season(this is best!))

WHISK TOGETHER:

• 1/4 cup lime juice
• 1/4 cup fat free plain yogurt
• 2 tsp sugar
• 1 small clove minced garlic
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4tsp cumin
• 1/4 tsp pepper

Toss over the bean mixture and refrigerate for a couple hours. Just before serving, add:

• 1 tomato, seeded and diced
• 1 small cucumber, diced
• 1 red, yellow or orange bell pepper, diced

Toss well and serve!

Makes 8 servings. Per serving:

• 106 cal
• 0g fat
• 5g protein
• 22g carb
• 243 mg sodium

Keeps really well in the fridge and makes great leftovers. It's also really easy to tweak to your own liking...different types of beans, different proportions of beans to corn, extra bell peppers.. however you like it. Add a little extra lime juice to up the ante on the flavor scale!

This salad is so tasty that you may have to share... consider protecting yourself:



Dr Sue Pedersen www.drsue.ca © 2010 drsuetalks@gmail.com Read more...

Follow me on Twitter for daily tips and pearls! drsuepedersen

Read more...

Deb's Stuffed Peppers!

Mmmm..... right from the kitchen of my best friend comes a deliciously healthy, high protein meal! The caloric price tag is low at under 250.

Ingredients:

• 6 bell peppers - 2 red, 2 Yellow, 2 Orange
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1/2 cup chopped celery
• 1 can (19.5 ounces) diced tomatoes
• 1 can (8 ounces) tomato sauce
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 1 teaspoon dried leaf oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon dried leaf basil
• 1 teaspoon salt, divided
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper, divided
• 1 egg white, lightly beaten
• 1 1/2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 pound extra lean ground beef
• 1 cups cooked long-grain brown rice
• shredded low fat cheddar cheese

Preparation:

Cut tops off peppers; remove seeds and membranes. Rinse the peppers under cold water. Place peppers and tops in a large pot; cover with water. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 5 minutes.(you may have to do this in 2 batches if your peppers are bigger than your pot.) Drain peppers and set aside. Dice the celery and the onion.

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat until hot. Sauté the crushed garlic, chopped onion, and chopped celery for about 5 minutes, or until vegetables are tender. Add tomatoes, tomato sauce, oregano, basil, half of the salt, and 1/4 teaspoon of the pepper. Simmer for about 10 minutes.

In a large mixing bowl, combine egg white with remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and Worcestershire sauce. Gently stir to blend; add ground beef, cooked rice, and approx 3/4 of the tomato mixture you just made. Mix well. Place the peppers in a cassorole dish standing up and stuff the peppers with meat mixture until 1/2 way full. Then add a tablespoon of your shredded cheese and fill the rest of the pepper full with the meat mixture. Use the 1/4 remaining tomato mixture and divide it 6 ways to spoon some on top of each pepper. Put pepper tops on the peppers. Bake at 350° for 65 minutes. Top each stuffed pepper (under the cap) with a little of your shredded cheese a couple minutes before the peppers are done and bake until the cheese is melted.

Serve!

Makes 6 servings.

Nutritional Info per serving:
Calories: 243 Fat: 7.3g Sat Fat: 2.2g carbs: 21.1g Fibre: 3.3g Protein: 23.1g

Dr. Sue © 2010 www.drsue.ca drsuetalks@gmail.com

Read more...